Passion (Palm) Sunday Cycle A

Passion Sunday Cycle A

***before you begin, make sure that you have readers for the different roles in the Passion reading: an adult narrator, good readers for Jesus and Pilate, and a few chosen readers to help lead small groups of younger children in the “priests” and the “crowd” parts.  Have the parts ready for the children with highlighted sections***

Welcome children to their worship space.

Ask them to get their carpet squares and sit down in a circle.

Introduce yourself and your helpers.

Introduce

Say:  This is it!  The last Sunday before we begin the celebration of the Passion and Easter week.  We have some extra church services this week to remember the things that happened to Jesus before he died and rose again.  We gather on Holy Thursday to remember his last supper together with his friends.  We gather on Good Friday to remember how he died for us.  And we will gather again on Easter Sunday to celebrate his rising from the dead, his triumph over death.

Ask:  Last week’s symbol was a stone.  We talked about how God was stronger than death.  Next Sunday we sill celebrate how this is true.  Next Sunday we celebrate Easter.

Introduce symbol

Say:   Today’s symbol is a cross with palms on it.  <hold up the symbol>  The cross always stands for Jesus and the sacrifice he made for us.  The palms remind us that on this day we celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.  Do you remember how the people acted when he entered?  <let the children respond>  They treated him like a king!

Say:  Just like we did today, they took palms and waved them like we would wave flags at a parade.  They were happy to see him.  These are the same people who will act quite differently before the week ends.  And they are like us.  Sometimes we just follow our feelings without thinking too.

Say:  Let’s look at today’s poster.  What does it say? <My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?>  This is our Responsorial Psalm for today.  The Responsorial Psalms also come from Scripture, from the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament.

Ask:  What does the word ‘abandon’ mean?  <to leave alone, to forget>  Do you think that God really abandons people?  <no>  Does it sometimes feel that way? <yes, absolutely>  That’s when we need to have a lot of faith!

Introduce readings

We have two readings today.

Say:  Let’s light the candle to show that we are ready to listen to the Word of God.

Say: Today’s first reading is from the Old Testament book of the prophet Isaiah. (Isa 50:6-7)  In this reading, Isaiah talks about being tortured because he believed in God. He reminds us that even in the worst of times, God is with us and to never be ashamed to believe in God.

Have the reader read the first reading.

Say: Now it is time for the Responsorial Psalm.  Your part is to say:

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Say:  Today’s Gospel reading comes from the New Testament book of Matthew.  (Matt 27:11-54).  It is called the passion. It is a long reading and we will read parts of it together.  This is the story of what happened to Jesus.  It is a sad story.  While we read, think about how you might have acted if you were living at that time.

Say:  Usually we stand to get ready to hear the Gospel; today we will sit because this Gospel is a little different:

Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Have the reader begin: “a reading from the holy gospel.....”

Read:  Read the Gospel together

Ask:  Do you think that the people who killed Jesus were all bad people?  Or do you think maybe they might have been frightened into doing the wrong thing?  Maybe they don’t really understand.  Any of us might have behaved in the same way.

Say:  Jesus forgave the people who killed him.  He regularly forgives us too as long as we recognize what we do wrong and are sorry.

Hand out the poster cut-outs of a cross so that the children can write their names on them for the poster.

Hand out the symbols to color. (The symbol is a cross with a palm).  Ask the older children to write one thing they can do this week to help spread Jesus’ forgiveness to others.

 

Explain: Color this symbol of a cross and bring it to the altar (don’t forget to put your name on the back!)  to show that we have learned about how we all make mistakes and how Jesus keeps on forgiving us.

If there is time, ask questions and go over the lessons one more time to help the children remember.

Give out stickers and hand-outs as they leave.

Use this graphic for the little cut-outs used for the poster

This graphic can be used for both the banner symbol and for the black-line coloring page for the Offertory gift

Parent Letter

Passion Sunday  A

Dear Parents,

              Today is Passion Sunday.  The children listened to two of the same readings you heard: Isaiah 50:6-7; Matthew 27:11-54.

Symbol: cross with palms

To reinforce at home:

Today’s we are reminded how the Jewish people welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem.  They treated him like a king.  They waved palms and sang songs just like we did.  We travel in the Gospel reading step-by-step through the judgment of Jesus to the crucifixion.  We recall the tremendous physical and spiritual pain that Jesus willingly went through for our sakes.  We experience again the awesome size of the forgiveness of God.  If he can forgive his own son’s murderers, how can we believe that he would not forgive us?

Activities to do at home:

*Talk about the different holy days that we will celebrate this week and why they are important to Christians.  Go to these services at your church.

*Go to Stations of the Cross this week and follow together in Christ’s footsteps to Calvary.

Thank you for sharing your children!

5th Sunday of Lent Cycle A

5th Sunday of Lent  Cycle A

Welcome children to their worship space.

Ask them to get their carpet squares and sit down in a circle.

Introduce yourself and your helpers.

  

Introduce

              Say: This is it!  The last Sunday before we begin the celebration of the Passion and Easter week.  Next Sunday we celebrate the Passion.  We also know it as Palm Sunday because it is the day when we get new palms for next year.  The week after that is a very serious and very special week.  We go to church several times to celebrate Holy Thursday (the last supper), Good Friday (when Jesus died) and then Easter Sunday (to celebrate his rising from the dead)  We have a lot coming up so remind your parents!

Ask:  Can anyone tell me what we talked about last week?  <show the symbol of the eye>  We talked about different kinds of blindness and the miracles Jesus performed.  We learned how hard we need to work to continually ‘see’ God’s goodness all around us.

Introduce symbol

Say:  Our symbol today is a rock or a stone <hold up symbol>.  Do you remember one story we have heard lately that had a rock in it?  <when Moses struck the rock and got water from it>  Was there anything unusual about that?  <discuss>  Is a rock living?  <no>  Yet God made the rock be an instrument of bringing life to the Israelite people.  God proved that he was stronger than death.  This is what we will explore a little today.  Our rock symbolizes death.

Say:  Let’s look at today’s poster.  What does it say? <With the Lord, there is mercy and fullness of redemption.>  This is our Responsorial Psalm for today.  The Responsorial Psalms also come from Scripture, from the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament.

Ask:  What does the word ‘redemption’ mean?  <redemption refers to Christ gaining eternal life for us>  God will love us and forgive us and bring us to live in heaven with him.

Introduce readings

We have two readings today.

Say:  Let’s light the candle to show that we are ready to listen to the Word of God.

Say: Today’s first reading is from the Old Testament book of the prophet Ezekiel. (Eze 37:12-14) In this reading, God is talking to the prophet Ezekiel.  He is talking about people living again.  Listen closely to the reading and see if you can understand what he really means.

Have the reader read the first reading.

Ask: Do you think that lots of people are really going to be brought out of graves?  <do we really know?>  Maybe many people will receive God’s spirit and make new lives.

Say: Now it is time for the Responsorial Psalm.  Your part is to say:

With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Say:  Today’s Gospel reading comes from the book of John.  (John 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 31-45).  St. John uses this reading to tell us about a time when Jesus actually did raise a good friend of his from the dead.  Jesus had a friend named Lazarus, the brother of two other friends that you have probably heard of – Martha and Mary.  Lazarus got sick and died.  He had already been buried for four days before Jesus arrived.  Pretend that you are one of the Apostles travelling with Jesus and experience what happened at Lazarus’ house.

Say:  Now we will stand and get ready to hear the Gospel

(hold up card)  Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Have the reader begin: “a reading from the holy gospel.....”

Read:  Read the Gospel

Ask:  What happened?  <let the children retell what they heard>  What does this mean?  <it means that Jesus is stronger than death, it reminds us that he will soon die and rise again himself>  This story reminds us one more time to place our trust in Jesus!

Hand out the poster cut-outs of a stone so that the children can write their names on them for the poster.

Hand out the symbols to color. (The symbol is the stone).

Explain: Color this symbol of the seed and bring it to the altar (don’t forget to put your name on the back!)  to show that we have learned about the power of Jesus.                            

Ask the older children to write one thing they can do this week to show that they believe that Jesus’ love is stronger than anything.

If there is time, ask questions and go over the lessons one more time to help the children remember.

Give out stickers and hand-outs as they leave.

*****Have next week’s Passion reading available and give major speaking parts to

good readers to practice*****

Use the same graphic for all 3 purposes: small ones cut from light-colored paper to create the poster, medium - sized in gray for the banner symbol, and large as a coloring page for the Offertory gift

Parent Letter

5th Sunday of Lent  A

Dear Parents,

              Today is the 5^th Sunday of Lent.  The children listened to two of the same readings you did: Ezekiel 37:12-14; John 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 31-45.

Symbol: stone

To reinforce at home:

The readings today talk about how God’s love is stronger even than death.  They are a foretelling of the ultimate gift God gave to us, the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for us.

Activities to do at home:

*Remember to put the dates for the Easter Triduum services on your family calendar!

*How is your Lent coming?  Take a few minutes this week with your child to talk about how you have grown closer to God during this Lenten period.

*Don’t forget to experience the sacrament of Reconciliation this Lenten season and give your child the opportunity also.

Thank you for sharing your children!

4th Sunday of Lent Cycle A

4th Sunday Lent  Cycle A

Welcome children to their worship space.

Ask them to get their carpet squares and sit down in a circle.

Introduce yourself and your helpers.

Introduce

             Say:  Today is the 4th Sunday of Lent.  And what do we do during Lent?  <prepare for Easter – the death and rising of Jesus Christ>  How’s it going?  What are you doing to prepare, to get closer to God?  <let the children discuss>

Ask:  What was the symbol for last week?  <water>  We talked about how Jesus helps us start over again and again if we just listen and believe in him.

Introduce symbol

Say:  This is the symbol for this week (hold up the symbol).  This is an eye. Today we are going to talk about different kinds of blindness and sight.

Ask:  Tell me what you know about blindness.  <being in the dark, not being able to see things around you, etc.>  What might it mean if I were to say that a person whose eyes work well is really blind?  <discuss>  It means that this person who can see really doesn’t understand.  We have talked in previous weeks about not ‘hardening your hearts’.  And we compared it with being open, and with listening.  Today we will look at the same idea, only comparing it with ‘seeing’.

Say:  Let’s look at the poster.  What does it say? <The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.>  This is our Responsorial Psalm for today.  The Responsorial Psalms also come from Scripture, from the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament.

Ask:  Was Jesus really a shepherd?  <probably not>  What occupation did Jesus’ earthly father have?  <carpenter>  Most likely Jesus was trained to be a carpenter too.  Why do we refer to Jesus as a shepherd?  <because shepherds take good care of their sheep, they would die to protect them>

Introduce readings

We have two readings today.

Say:  Let’s light the candle to show that we are ready to listen to the Word of God.

Say:  The first reading today is taken from the Old Testament book of Samuel (1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a).  Do you remember hearing about the great king David?  This is the story of how David was chosen to be king.

Have the reader read the first reading.

Say:  Was there anything unusual about the way that David was chosen?  <let the children answer>  Why did the Lord choose David the way he did?  What was he looking for?  <he was looking for qualities that would make a good king, things that are not visible to the eye>  It didn’t matter what David looked like, it mattered what he was like inside.

Say: Now it is time for the Responsorial Psalm.  Your part is to say:

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Say:  Today’s Gospel reading is taken from the book of John (John 9:1, 6-12, 35-38). Today we hear about one of Jesus’ miracles.  We will hear about two kinds of blindness – the kind where a person can’t see with their eyes and the kind where a person doesn’t understand.  Listen and see if you can hear about what Jesus says about people who don’t believe in him.

Say:  Now we will get ready to hear the Gospel

(hold up card)  Glory and praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Have the reader begin: “a reading from the holy gospel.....”

Read:  Read the Gospel

Ask: What miracle did Jesus perform?  <healed a blind man>  What did Jesus say about people who don’t believe in him?  <he said that they are blind>  Can these people see with their eyes?  <maybe – but more importantly, they didn’t know Jesus – they didn’t understand about the love he brings to us> 

Hand out the poster cut-outs (eyes) for the children to put their names on.  Collect them to glue on the poster when they are finished.

Hand out the symbols to color. (The symbol is the eye).

 

Explain: Color this symbol of the eye and bring it to the altar (don’t forget to put your name on the back!)  to show that we have learned about being open to Jesus’ love.

If there is time, ask questions and go over the lessons one more time to help the children remember.

Give out stickers and hand-outs as they leave.

Use this graphic to cut out the small light colored symbols to make the communal poster

Use this graphic to make the mid-size banner symbol and the large black-line Offertory symbol

Parent Letter

Fourth Sunday Lent A

Dear Parents,

             Today is the Fourth Sunday in Lent.  The children listened to two of the same readings you did: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; John 9:1, 6-12, 35-38.

Symbol:  eye

To reinforce at home:

For several weeks, we have been talking about being open to God, about listening to him.  Today’s readings use another analogy, sight.  In the first reading from Samuel, we hear how King David was chosen to be king.  God chose him specifically for attributes that were invisible to the eye.  God chose him because of what he knew was in David’s heart, even though he was the youngest and weakest of Jesse’s sons, a lowly shepherd boy.

In the Gospel of John, we hear the story of how Jesus cured a blind man.  The blind man’s friends did not recognize him – because they knew the facts – that he had been blind since birth.  They KNEW that this sighted man could not be their friend.  They let their knowledge blind them to the truth.

Activities to do at home:

*Discuss with your child what it means to be blind to the truth, a blindness that has nothing to do with eyes.

*Watch the news together and discuss the blindness towards other people that can come from fear.

* Not knowing can be the same as not seeing.  Together with your child, review your schedule for the upcoming weeks so you will know what is happening within the church.  Talk about how you must work to remain ‘sighted’.

*Pray for those who cannot see.  Donate your old glasses to organizations that can distribute them to people who need them.

Thank you for sharing your children!

3rd Sunday Lent Cycle A

3rd Sunday Lent Cycle A

Welcome children to their worship space.

Ask them to get their carpet squares and sit down in a circle.

Introduce yourself and your helpers.

Introduce

             Say:  This the 3^rd Sunday in Lent.  We have only a few more Sundays to prepare for the greatest feast in our church year.  Do you remember what it is?  <Easter>

Ask:  Does anyone remember the symbol for last week?  <a tent>  What did it symbolize?  <how we need to place our trust in God>

Introduce symbol

Say:   Today’s symbol <hold up the symbol> is water.  Tell me what you know about water.  What do we use it for? <drinking, bathing, cleaning>  Can we live without water?  <no>  Water often symbolizes life, something we can’t live without, something that makes us clean and new.

Ask:  Can you think of a sacrament when we use water?  <Baptism>  And why do we use water in Baptism?  <to symbolize washing away the old life and starting a new one>

Say:  Let’s look at today’s poster.  What does it say? <If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts.>  This is our Responsorial Psalm for today.  The Responsorial Psalms also come from Scripture, from the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament.  Psalms were originally songs, so make sure that you pray the response clearly and loudly.

Ask:  What does it meant ‘harden not your hearts’?  <get angry, decide not tolisten, say ‘no’ to God>  Do you think we do that?  <discuss>

Introduce readings

We have two readings today.

Say:  Let’s light the candle to show that we are ready to listen to the Word of God.

Say: Today’s first reading is from the Old Testament book of Exodus. (Exo 17:3-7) We are going to hear about Moses leading his people to the promised land.  Remember that they have been in the desert for a long while and are very thirsty.  They have not been able to find water.  They are very angry with Moses because they are afraid that they will die.  Let’s listen to what happened.

Have the reader read the first reading.

Ask:  Did you hear what happened?  <Moses struck a rock with a stick and water came out of it>  Water made the difference between living and dying for these people.  God made a life-giving substance, water, spring from a dead object, the rock.  But only because of one very special action on Moses’ part.  What did Moses do that was so unusual?  <let the children guessà  Moses did exactly what God told him to do… Even though it didn’t make any sense to Moses at all.  Moses did not harden his heart.  Moses had faith.

Say: Now it is time for the Responsorial Psalm.  Your part is to say:

If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts.

Say:  Today’s Gospel reading comes from the book of the Apostle John.  (John 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42).  In the Gospel today, we hear about when Jesus was travelling through Samaria.  What do you remember abut the people who lived in Samaria?  <they were enemies of most Jews>  Jesus was hot and tired.  He sat down by the town well and asked a Samaritan woman to get him a drink of water.  Let’s listen to the reading and see if \we can hear what happened.

Say:  Now we will stand and get ready to hear the Gospel

(hold up card)  Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Have the reader begin: “a reading from the holy gospel.....”

Read:  Read the Gospel

Ask:  Did the woman get him a drink of water?  Why was the woman surprised that Jesus asked her for help?  <because Jews did not like or trust Samaritans>  Then what happened?  What did Jesus mean when he said that he would give her the water of eternal life?  <discuss>

Hand out the poster cut-outs for the children to write their names on them for the poster.

Hand out the symbols to color. (The symbol is water).  Ask the older children to write one thing they can do this week to keep their hearts open to hear God’s word.

 

Explain: Color this symbol of water and bring it to the altar (don’t forget to put your name on the back!)  to show that we have learned about being open to God’s will.

If there is time, ask questions and go over the lessons one more time to help the children remember.

Give out stickers and hand-outs as they leave.

Use this graphic for the light-blue poster symbols

Use this graphic to make the banner symbol and the black-line coloring page Offertory symbol

Parent Letter

Third Sunday Lent A

Dear Parents,

             Today is the Third Sunday in Lent.  The children listened to two of the same readings you did: Exodus 17:3-7; John 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42.

Symbol: water

To reinforce at home:

Today’s readings both used the symbol of water as a sign of renewal and rebirth.  In the reading from Exodus, Moses listened to God, believed in him, and struck a rock to bring forth water to save all the people.  And in John today, a Samaritan woman, a natural enemy of Jesus, listened to him and gave him the water he asked for.  She, in turn, also listened and received the message of love that Jesus brought to all of us.

Both readings tell of the wonderful things that happen when we listen to God and, as the responsorial psalm reminded us, “harden not our hearts”.

Activities to do at home:

*Choose a quiet prayer time together each day to recount your blessings and ask for God’s guidance with problems.

*Use water to remember to talk to and listen to God.  As you try to drink those recommended 8 glasses of water daily, take a minute to thanks God for the life-giving water he gives us.  Many people in the world today do not have clean water to drink.

*Buy an extra food item this week to donate to your local food pantry.

Thank you for sharing your children!

2nd Sunday of Lent Cycle A

2^nd Sunday Lent Cycle A

Welcome children to their worship space.

Ask them to get their carpet squares and sit down in a circle.

Introduce yourself and your helpers.

Introduce

             Ask:  What is the color we use during the season of Lent? <purple>  It reminds us of the very serious and special feast that we are getting ready for.  Can anyone tell me what that feast is?  <Easter>  Easter is a very happy feast.  Can anyone tell me why we are very serious and thoughtful as we prepare for it?  What happens before it?  <Christ is put to death>

Ask:  Does anyone remember what our symbol was for last Sunday?  <show the apple>

Explain:  We learned what temptation is and what we need to do about it.

Introduce symbol

Say:  Today’s symbol <hold up the symbol> is a tent.

Explain:  What does a tent make you think of?  <travelling, camping out, etc.>

Say:  A tent is a kind of shelter that is not permanent.  It provides a home for us when we have no other home.  It looks like it might not be sturdy, but it is.  It protects us from the weather.  God is sometimes like a tent.  When he asks us to do something, he takes care of us.  Sometimes it might not seem like he will take care of us, but he always does.  Today we are going to focus on how we need to depend on God.

Say:  Let’s look at today’s poster.  What does it say? <Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.>  This is our Responsorial Psalm for today.  The Responsorial Psalms also come from Scripture, from the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament.

Ask:  What is another word for ‘trust’?  <belief>  In order to depend on God, we need to believe in him.

Introduce readings

We have two readings today.

Say:  Let’s light the candle to show that we are ready to listen to the Word of God.

Say: Today’s first reading is from the Old Testament book of Genesis. (Gen 12: 1-4a)  In this reading, God asks Abraham to do something amazing.  Listen closely to hear what God asked and think about how you would feel if you were Abraham.

Have the reader read the first reading.

Ask:  What did God ask Abraham to do?  <leave his home to create a new nation>  If you were Abraham, how do you think you would feel?  Even if you were excited about creating a new nation, would it be easy to leave your home behind?

Say: Now it is time for the Responsorial Psalm.  Your part is to say:

Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Say:  Today’s Gospel reading comes from the book of Matthew.  (Matt 17:1-9)  This reading is about a time when Jesus showed his closest friends, Peter, James and John that he really is God.  He wants them to have total faith (or trust) in him.  Pretend that you are one of these men, Peter, James or John, and followed Jesus to the mountaintop.  Try to imagine what you would feel.

Say:  Let’s stand and get ready to hear the Gospel

(hold up card)  Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Have the reader begin: “a reading from the holy gospel.....”

Read:  Read the Gospel

Ask: What did the Apostles see?  <let the children discuss>  Do you think they understood what they saw?  <no>  What did Jesus ask them to do?  <not to tell anyone until after he had been raised from the dead>

Say:  At this time, they didn’t know anything about Jesus dying and being raised from the dead.  To obey Jesus meant that they had to keep silent for a long time, maybe forever.  They were asked to trust in Jesus and depend on him.

Hand out the cut-outs (tents) and ask the children to put their names on them for the poster. Collect them as the children finish. 

Hand out the symbols to color  (The symbol is a tent).

 

Explain: Color this symbol of the tent and bring it to the altar (don’t forget to put your name on the back!)  to show what we have learned about trusting in Jesus.

Ask the older children to write one thing that they will do this week to show that they trust in Jesus.

If there is time, ask questions and go over the lessons one more time to help the children remember.

Give out stickers and hand-outs as they leave.

Use this same graphic for all 3 needs:  SMALL for the light-colored poster cut-outs, MEDIUM to create the banner symbol, and LARGE for the black-lined coloring sheet for Offertory symbol

Parent Letter

Second Sunday Lent A

Dear Parents,

             Today is the Second Sunday in Lent.  The children listened to two of the same readings you did: Genesis 12:1-4a; Matthew 17:1-9.

Symbol: Tent

To reinforce at home:

Today we heard about Abraham being called from his home and how he had to trust in God even if he was uncomfortable with what God asked of him.  In the Gospel, we see Jesus’ closest friends, Peter, James and John, faced with the same problem.  On the mountaintop, they witnessed undeniable (and unbelievable) proof that Jesus is God and they were asked to believe in him and obey him.

Today we are also asked by God to make choices that may be uncomfortable for us.  We need to depend on him to guide and care for us.

Activities to do at home:

*Share with your child a decision that you have made that was difficult but you knew that God asked you to make.  How did God take care of you?

*Set up a pretend tent in your living room by spreading a blanket over the top of a small table or some chairs.  Pretend that you are Abraham placing your trust in God.  Pretend that you are leaving your home behind to live in the desert and see how it makes you feel.

*During Lent, we are asked to spend some time growing closer to God.  Some ideas are: Establishing a weekly family time to share prayer, writing letters to people you haven’t been in contact with in a while, or saying the rosary together and meditating on the sorrowful mysteries.

Thank you for sharing your children!

1st Sunday of Lent A

1^st Sunday of Lent Cycle A

Welcome children to their worship space.

Ask them to get their carpet squares and sit down in a circle.

Introduce yourself and your helpers.

Introduce

Explain: Today is the First Sunday of Lent.  Did anyone notice any changes in the way we celebrate Mass this week or in the decoration of the church? <the color purple, less music, more somber atmosphere, etc.>  One change that you will see a little later on is that we will not say the ALLELUIA before the Gospel any more until Easter Sunday.  We will say “Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.”

Explain:  Does anyone remember what the symbol for last Sunday was? <a lamp with a basket>  And what did it represent?  What was Scripture telling us? <not to hide our lights under a basket, that we have a responsibility to share our love and talents with others>

Introduce symbol

Say:  Today’s symbol <hold up the symbol> is an apple.

Explain:  What does an apple make you think of?  <let the children answer>  Do you remember any story in the Bible with an apple in it? <Adam & Eve>  That is the first reading today.  The apple represents temptation and sin.

Ask:  Today our thoughts are on temptation and sin.  Can anyone tell me what the word ‘temptation’ means?  <discuss>  Temptation is whatever makes you want to do the wrong thing – or to sin.

Say:  Let’s look at the poster we will make today.  What does it say? <Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.>  This is our Responsorial Psalm for today, a psalm of praise.

Introduce readings

We have two readings today. 

Say:  Let’s light the candle to show that we are ready to listen to the Word of God.

Say: Today’s first reading is from the Old Testament book of Genesis. (Gen 2:7-9, 3:1-7) God created a beautiful world for us.  Do you remember what happened next?  He gave one command to Adam and Eve – not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden.  Listen closely to see if you can hear anything new in this reading.

Have the reader read the first reading.

Ask: What did you hear?  <discuss>  Why did they eat from the tree in the middle of the garden?  <because the snake told them that they would know as much as God did, they believed the snake instead of God>  Do we ever do that?  Believe in something other than what God says?  Of course – we all do.  We all do wrong things sometimes.  We are all tempted.  And we all sin.

Say: Now it is time for the Responsorial Psalm.  Your part is to pray the words of praise nice and loud:

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Say:  Today’s Gospel reading comes from the New Testament book of Matthew.  (Matt 4:1-11) This reading tells us about a time that Jesus went out into the desert before he began teaching.  Someone came to see Jesus in the desert.  Does anyone know who it was?  Listen closely and see what happened to Jesus.

Say:  Now let’s stand and get ready to hear the Gospel

Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Have the reader begin: “a reading from the holy gospel.....”

Read:  Read the Gospel

Say:  Did you already know this story?  Did you hear anything in the Gospel reading that reminded you of the first story about Adam and Eve?  Because Jesus was man as well as God, he was tempted.  It wasn’t easy for him to say NO to temptation… just like is isn’t easy for us either.  The difference is that Jesus managed to do the right thing.  We all have choices whether to do the right thing or the wrong thing.  During Lent we think about how we behave and we try to change.  We try to show God that we are sorry for the things we do wrong.

Hand out the poster cut-outs and Offertory symbols.

Ask children to add their names to the cutouts (red circles) so that they can be glued onto the poster.

   

Explain: Color this symbol of the apple and bring it to the altar (don’t forget to put your name on the back!)  to show what we need to do when we are tempted

Ask the older children to write down one thing they can do this week to avoid the urge to sin.

If there is time, review the lesson.

Give out stickers and hand-outs as they leave.

Use this graphic to create a banner symbol.  Use "apple" colors for the banner symbol.

Use this graphic for the communal banner.  Cut small circles of any light color.

Use this graphic for the full size coloring sheet to use for the Offertory gift.

Parent Letter

First Sunday Lent A

Dear Parents,

              Today is the First Sunday in Lent.  The children listened to two of the same readings you did: Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Matthew 4:1-11.

Symbol: apple

To reinforce at home:

Today we talked about the beginning of the new liturgical season, Lent.  We talked about the differences in the way that the church is decorated and the differences in the liturgy.

Our focus today from the readings was temptation and sin.  The first reading was about Adam and Eve and their temptation and fall from grace.  We talked about how we are all tempted and that we need to try to do the right thing. In the Gospel today, we hear about Jesus being tempted by the devil in the desert.  We need to try to be like Jesus and not give in to temptation.

Activities to do at home:

*Talk with your child about how your family observes Lent.  What special things will you do together to prepare for Easter?

*Offer sliced apples with peanut butter and/or cheese as a dessert one day this week.  Share with each other some of the temptations that you have experienced that day and what you did about them.

*Plan to eat a simple soup and bread supper one day this week.  Put the money you didn’t spend on dinner into the Rice Bowl program.

Thank you for sharing your children!

Passion Sunday C

Passion  Sunday   Cycle C

Welcome children to their worship space.

            Explain: Today is Passion Sunday.  Does anyone remember what we celebrate on Passion Sunday?  What happened to Jesus?  <he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, people treated him like a king>

Ask:  What were the people waving?  <palms>  Does anyone know why they waved palm branches? 

Explain:  When Jesus was alive, most people didn’t have flags to wave.  When there was a parade of any kind, they used palm branches.  We receive palm branches today to remind us that we are choosing to follow Jesus.

Ask:  What do we do with these palms?  <take them home, braid them, display them behind crucifixes>  They are special blessed objects to help us think about Jesus.  We put them in a special place in our home where we can see them.  We treat them in a special manner because they are blessed.  To get rid of them, we have to burn them, not just throw them out.  Usually they are burned before next year’s Ash Wednesday.  The ashes that are used on Ash Wednesday are made of burned palms.

Introduce symbol

Say:  Today’s symbol <hold up the symbol> is a cross with palms.  What – or who – does the cross remind us of?  <Jesus – or his crucifixion>  Why is it especially appropriate to think about this today?  <this Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week – in which we celebrate the events that led up to the death and resurrection of Jesus>  This is the most important week in all of our church year because we are preparing to celebrate Easter – which is our most important feast. 

Say:  Let’s look at the poster.  What does it say? < My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?>  This is our Responsorial Psalm for today.  The Responsorial Psalms also come from Scripture, from the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament.  This is something that Jesus said when he was hanging on the cross.  Do you think that God really abandoned Jesus?  Or is this proof that Jesus was really human too – and could feel the same things that we can feel?

Introduce readings

The Gospel is very long today and I will need some help reading it.  Several of you have copies of the Gospel so please share with each other.

Say:  Let’s light the candle to show that we are ready to listen to the Words of God.

Say: Today’s first reading is from the Old Testament book of the prophet Isaiah. (Isa 50:6 –7)  Isaiah tells us about how he was hurt because he loved God and how God helped him to be strong.

Ask:  Can you think of a time that you were unhappy and God helped you to be strong?

Have the reader read the first reading.

Say: Now it is time for the Responsorial Psalm.  Your part is to say:

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?.

Say:  Today’s Gospel reading comes from the book of Luke.  (Lk 23:1-49)  This Gospel is known as the Passion of our Lord.  It is the same story that you have acted out in the Stations of the Cross.  It is the story of how Jesus was betrayed and how he went to trial before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. It tells how Pontius Pilate did not want to try Jesus and sent him to the Jewish leader Herod.  Do you remember how jealous Herod was of Jesus?  How afraid he was that Jesus would be the king of the Jews instead of him?  This Gospel tells what Herod did to finally get rid of Jesus.  And we hear how Jesus traveled with his cross to the place where he was crucified.  We will read parts of this together.

If you listen closely to the story, you will hear about the feasts we celebrate on Thursday and Friday of this special week.

Say:  Now we will get ready to hear the Gospel
 (hold up card)  Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Have the reader begin: “a reading from the holy gospel.....”

Read:  Read the Gospel

Ask:  What feasts will we celebrate this week?  <Holy Thursday – where we commemorate the last supper & Good Friday – where we commemorate the death of Jesus>

Ask children to add their names to the cutouts (crosses) provided.  Remind the children that we are making a poster for each Sunday and that they will sign a cutout and glue it on when they are here.

Hand out the symbols to color. (The symbol is a cross with palms).

 

Explain: Color this symbol of the cross and bring it to the altar (don’t forget to put your name on the back!)  to show that we have learned about how Jesus was killed.

If there is time, ask questions and go over the lessons one more time to help the children remember.

Parent Letter

Feast of the Passion  C

            Today your children heard a simplified version of the same readings that you heard: Isaiah 50:6-7 and Luke 23:1-49

           

To reinforce at home:

            The passion readings are difficult to hear, still more difficult to take part in yet are critical to our understanding of our faith.  Even the youngest child can have an appreciation of the tremendous gift Jesus gave us.

Activities to do at home:

*Read a child’s version of the Last Supper and crucifixion.

*Attend as much of the Holy Week services together as your child can handle.  Help them participate in and understand their faith traditions.

*Have a Seder meal together in your home.

Thank you for sharing your children!